Friday 3 July 2009

Onawind Blue returns

Don’t try this at home folks. Unless you’re extremely well prepared. I believe I was and the project has had a happy outcome.

Just briefly, as I still don’t have an internet connection at home. Having arrived at Ibiza and made a new rudder I had a lovely cruise to Formentera, an idyllic island surrounded by impossibly turquoise waters. I returned to Ibiza to make some final preparations for my departure then, on Friday 26th sailed for the north of the island.

At 0400 on the morning of the 27th I set sail for the Columbrete Islands 65 miles northwest. This was a long, long open sea passage and I rowed about half the distance. I saw only one other ship on this passage and tried to contact it via the VHF but received no reply. I did, however, see plenty of dolphins.

The Columbretes are very small and it was with some relief that I finally saw them appear at sunset. I was still 15 miles off, which, with a failing breeze, put the islands about 6 hours away. The islands form a natural park and no anchoring is allowed, however several buoys have been set down in the natural harbour. I contacted the island’s park authorities by radio and was told that there were no buoys available. I could, however tie up to another boat. OB is too small to raft against a large boat and rowing round the anchorage it looked like there was no suitable boat to tie on to. Eventually I rafted up against someone’s dinghy after 22 hours on the water.

The next day demanded rest. I visited the island, snorkled and slept under an awning I’d rigged using the mizzen sail. In the evening the park guards kindly used their satellite phone to contact my family and let them know that I was planning on leaving at 0400 for the Spanish mainland.

I sailed north for the River Ebro Delta but with the dawn the wind failed. This was a difficult day, I rowed and rowed. At times I stopped to swim and, as I was swimming, I towed the boat behind me. Anything to gain a few metres. That day I covering 45 miles in 17 hours pulling the boat onto a beach on the south side of the Delta for the night.

The next morning I again set off at 0400 with no wind. But found that I hadn’t fully recovered from the day before. It wasn’t so much my arms and back that caused discomfort but the rubbing and chafing of salty clothing on skin. My bum was raw. After 6 hours and 12 miles I stopped on the tip off the Delta to eat and rest. There was no wind and to attempt the 23 mile passage across to Cap Salou without wind would have been foolhardy given that rowing had become so uncomfortable. After an hour’s sleep in the shade of the mainsail the wind began to fill in from the southeast. I set sail and crossed the Gulf of Sant Jordi. The wind came foul 5 miles from the cape and I had gruelling row up to Cala Cranc, (where I stayed 2 years ago) but suspecting it to be unsuitable with a southerly swell rowed on round the cape to anchor off the tourist hell of La Pineda, just beside the entrance to Tarragona harbour.

I left the next morning at the favoured hour of 0400 and rowed the 15 miles home. I seemed to find new strength and as long as I didn’t stop I could deal with my painful butt. I arrived home in time for a late breakfast though the only thing I could consider drinking was cold beer.

Open sea voyaging in a small boat is a very serious business. I have watched the tricky Mediterranean weather for years now and wouldn’t have wanted to make this trip at other time of year. The beginning of June may be unsettled but the solstice usually brings prevailing southerlies. I had more calms than I could have wished for but I also had plenty of fine following breezes that kept our overall average speed for the 280nm trip above 3 knots. I was physically well prepared and psychologically committed to make the trip a success.

I wouldn’t recommend this sort of trip for everyone and won’t say that at times I wasn’t extremely frightened (particularly when I was on land thinking of the journey ahead) but personally I found being in a small boat 30 miles from land with 1cm of plywood separating me from depths of 1300 metres fulfilling. The experience of spending hour after hour in absolute solitude at the centre of a blue disc under a pure blue dome is one that I will cherish.

I have material to make a short film of the journey, which will hopefully be on youtube by the beginning of August. And next week I’ll post some photos here.

9 comments:

pep said...

Enhorabona!!!

esteve said...

ei ben, felicitats pel teu fantàstic viatge, els de thalassa del canal 33 t'haurien d'haver filmat per a fer un reportatge de la travessia.llàstima que jo ja no estava a formentera quan hi vas anar, m'hauria agradat veure't arribar. esperaré impacient per a veure el video que montaràs del viatge.apa valent, fins aviat.

esteve

Anonymous said...

Great Voyage possible answer for a dry Bum : Here is a picture of Hubert Evans Double Ender C. 1932 at the Sunshine Coast Museum & Archives in British Columbia Canada:
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/pm.php?id=story_line&lg=English&fl=0&ex=00000113&sl=1445&pos=1

Scroll down to the picture and click on the photo to enlarge the size check out Mr. Evans dry seat made of rope but in 'Onward Blue' it would probably raise your Metacentric Height (GM) making her tender Gavin would know for sure with his Design.
Mr.Evan (Canadian Author) spent many days and nights Hand Trolling for Salmon

Joe

Anonymous said...

http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/pm.php?id=story_line&lg=English&fl=0&ex=00000113&sl=1445&pos=1
also check the next picture for a side view of the seat

Joe

Anonymous said...

when I paste the address this is cutoff s=1 the end of the address should read pos=1

Chris Partridge said...

Congratulations on a great voyage!
I sympathise, having recently suffered similar symptoms on my row down the Thames. I am told that a skeepskin seat cover works wonders - something to do with the lanolin.
Chris

Gavin Atkin said...

Congratulations from me too Ben - I'm delighted you're safe. You must be fantastically fit to cope with this stuff - just the thought of 30-odd miles of rowing in one day is overwhelming!

I'm very much looking forward to the movie. And you really must write this stuff up for one of the magazines.

Bursledon Blogger said...

More Congratulations Ben, looking forward to more details and pictures.

You're not alone in the "trepidation" before the voyage, Hiscock wrote about it in voyaging Under Sail -

Great voyage - thanks for inspiring us to do more, go further!

bowsprite said...

greetings, Friend!
so fun to revisit your videos and adventures again!
i've linked your adventure onto my friend Frogma's site http://frogma.blogspot.com/.

It seems one of your countryfellows is rowing from Miami to NY for publicity. I hope he views your adventure.

He will be knackered! But here, his biggest threats will be mosquitos and the fast food joints. And possibly, himself, not sure yet.